As we dropped down into the warm Central Valley from cool coastal Marin County, I exhaled; whew, the land was still spring green. There's been so much in the news about the drought that my mind was primed to see brown vegetation everywhere, which normally happens some months out in summer. Now it's hard to know what the new normal is. The Central Valley, bread basket of the USA, falls between the lower coastal mountains and the higher Sierras. It's hotter than the coast and heats way up in the summer. The hot air rising in the Central Valley pulls in cool ocean air laden with moisture (read fog). That's why Mark Twain needed a down vest in San Francisco during his infamous summer visit.
But I digress. Our journey to Gold Country in the Sierra Foothills was marked with tender green foliage everywhere. The occasion was my birthday and some friends joined us to share a cottage on a ranch, visit a day lilly flower farm, play music, hike, cook and eat, cook and eat.
When I'm talking about a ranch, I'm not talking rustic ranch. It turns out to be a beautifully designed and landscaped gentleman's and (woman's) ranch where sheep, chickens, grapes and good conversation abound. I later told owner, Sherry Fields (along with her husband, country doctor, Dan Fields) that the photos she posted don't do it justice. And I can't say mine do either. I was just having too much fun for photos. We had a lot of little chats with Sherry and Dan, learning that their obvious labor of love is coming to fruition after 14 years. It is a real find and a wonderful place to share with friends. There's a cottage for 4 or a beautiful barn for 2, very nicely done with all the amenities. The bucolic landscape is classic foothill country with oaks speckling the rolling hills, especially beautiful in the spring.
The area is a Central Valley version of Napa/ Sonoma wine country. There are a lot of boutique wineries and old mining towns retrofitted with quaint to upscale offerings. We were there for neither, though we made a short foray into Amador City. Nope, came for the day lilies and to settle into a rural landscape for a spell. In the summer expect a lot more heat and rolling hills gone brown.
Here is Dark Horse Ranch:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3533175
Part 2: Mullein Harvesting
An unexpected treat, mullein harvesting. Discovering that our intended hike in the National forest was still an hour away, we opted to stay local and explore some old logging areas. At first this seemed like a pretty depressing prospect, anticipating a barren landscape of tree stumps. Fortunately the land had been selectively cut which means that the forests are thinned, rather than clear cut. It's a better forestry method since these areas can still support wildlife to some extent. And it means that there are still many trees and underbrush and it was rather lovely. We found was an amazing abundance of mullein plants. Though not native to the area, this is a medicinal herb that's been used for centuries for a variety of issues. I've used it for years for colds, congestion, and ear aches. It's an interesting landscaping plant with fuzzy soft rosette that eventually bears a tall flowering stalk. The flower stalks are fun to use in arrangements though the dropping flowers do scatter all over.
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